Secret Garden Party Goers Offered Free Drug-Testing Service

A first for British festivals...

Secret Garden Party offered festival goers a free drugs-testing service this weekend.

The policy was overseen by The Loop, and it is believed to be the first time a major UK festival has embarked on something of this nature.

The Loop have previously tested discarded drugs, or those claimed by police, but this is the first time that revellers at Secret Garden Party have been given the option of open testing.

The results are intriguing. Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told the Guardian: “Around a quarter of people who brought in their drugs then asked us to dispose of them when they discovered that they had been mis-sold or were duds. We were taking dangerous substances out of circulation.”

The Loop work consistently to advise young people on the safe consumption of drugs. Fiona Measham, co-Director of The Loop said: “My research shows that MDMA crystal remains the most popular party drug amongst festival goers and clubbers but purity and contents can vary considerably in illegal markets. When purity increases it takes a while for behaviours to readjust and we often see more problems. We want to keep people safe and advice as simple as ‘crush-dab-wait’ could save lives”.

Clash is on site at Secret Garden Party – follow our rolling coverage on Twitter.

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